Reasons Singapore will still be same or be worse in future
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I will break things down into the problems we are currently facing.
1) Singapore is too dependent on other countries. e.g water from Malaysia, natural gas from Indonesia. Foreign workers on construction sites. By analysing this, we are actually on the "being pushed" side. Looking at the water issue, you know what i mean.
2) Singaporeans are working too hard and too tired working coz' we have no choice. Why? Coz' our land is too small and we have no natural resources, therefore we muz work harder to balance the scale. But this will lead to some social issue or in fact we are facing it now-----too stressed and some even migrate...
3) Falling birth rate. Well this problem arised from problem 2. Everyday working so hard go home too tired to 'do it'...Of coz the main problem is Singapore cost of living is too high and bringing up a child requires effort and money. Looking at now busy parents, where got the time to teach right values and give proper care to the child. And the child grows up to have a lot of problems. By looking at the recent news, i need not to go into further details.
4) Our educational system. Well looking at the system now we are having. I can say it is complete joke. What we are learning now in schools is 1/2 1/2 and we are learning too much irrelevant stuffs which most probably not be useful. Also we are not given a choice or not emphasised on learning specifed skills when we are young, therefore when we go out to work, we still need to spend extra time upgrading and thus lead to problem 2. Spending all the time on a few specific skill and specialise on them are more enjoyable and less stressful compared to study all kinds of subjects where actually just for scoring high marks.
E.g I now holding a diploma for multimedia infocomm technology, but i wasted 4 years in sec sch learning chemistry, physics, history geography whereby i most probably forget. Then the 3 yrs in poly i can tell you what i learned is still not enough to equip myself in the workforce. Therefore Singapore employ foreigners instead of us coz they have better knowledge but i can tell u they know nothing of other things rather than the specific knowledge they specialised. Bill gates started programming at the age of 5 if i am not wrong and he don't study like history, geography, chemistry etc..but look at him...how much did he earn every minute?
For us guys, we are at a greater disadvantage if we are holding IT related diploma and i assume a lot of us do. After having diploma and serving 2 yrs NS, we came out at the age of about 22-23.By that time what we learned during poly may be outdated coz IT trend go so fast and 2 yrs makes a damn difference. If study U then 4 more yrs that is about 27. Look for a job then only manage to survive if salary about $1500. After marriage settle down still need to work and work until we die.
5)Emerging economy India and China. Well looking at the trend, China will catch up with Singapore around 15 years time. The problem China still facing now is the corruption and security issue. Compare them to Singapore, we are having this advantage. But once their government do something to it. China will be better than Singapore.
Conclusion
Based on the main problems that I mentioned above, I think the main problem that also the main reason that Singapore will still be same or be worse in future is because Singapore is too small with no natural resources. We are working too hard to balance the scales but this is no good to the society in the run. But we can do nothing about it and we can only try our best to maintain what it is now.
If you read Romance of the three kingdoms, i think you will know Zhuge Liang who was a great leader and strategist. During the time where Zhuge Liang was aiding Liu Bei in charge of the government in Xinye which was a small city that is hard to defend with no natural resources. But with Zhuge Liang's governing, Xinye developed in a prosperous city like Singapore. But he did tell Liu Bei that in the long run, things will not look good coz the fact that Xinye is too hard to defend and low population. Therefore in the end, they gave up Xinye and moved to a bigger and more resources Jingzhou. But of coz, the movement from Xinye and Jingzhou was due to war by Cao Cao great army where even Zhuge Liang himself knew cannot defend even with his great tactics and well trained soldiers. But who can ensure in future Singapore will not face a war?? Even if we managed to win a war, but the damage going to cause is aso too huge.
Think about it the natural fact and feel free to comment and flame me if u like.... -
mi got to look for another swamp liao???
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Depends how you think, if you think you don mind in the future you will need to work and work very hard or you have outstanding skills that makes you stands out compared to others or you think while you are still alive, things will be still looking good then no need to look for other swamp lah.Originally posted by sgboy2004:mi got to look for another swamp liao??? -
Well, what youÂ’re talking about is trade. Every country depends on trade, even the reclusive North Korea(who likes to alien themselves from the world) needs some amount of Foreign aid in terms of food and medicine to help their citizens.Originally posted by sans-culotte:I will break things down into the problems we are currently facing.
1) Singapore is too dependent on other countries. e.g water from Malaysia, natural gas from Indonesia. Foreign workers on construction sites. By analysing this, we are actually on the "being pushed" side. Looking at the water issue, you know what i mean.
Singapore naturally has had a huge trade surplus, which means we export more goods to other countries. What you described is a trade deficit or a more correct term to use would be importsÂ…
2) Singaporeans are working too hard and too tired working coz' we have no choice. Why? Coz' our land is too small and we have no natural resources, therefore we muz work harder to balance the scale. But this will lead to some social issue or in fact we are facing it now-----too stressed and some even migrate... [/quote]
Well, every country has to work hardÂ… unless youÂ’re a citizen of Brunei(free education, cheap oil, cheap land, get to pray 4 times a day) or some EU nations like Denmark whereby the social welfare system is very relaxed(Once you retire or choose to retire, you get 50% of your last drawn salary)Â….but thereÂ’s drawbacks too in Brunei, the std of living is very low and in Denmark the tax rate is 50% or higher.
3) Falling birth rate. Well this problem arised from problem 2. Everyday working so hard go home too tired to 'do it'...Of coz the main problem is Singapore cost of living is too high and bringing up a child requires effort and money. Looking at now busy parents, where got the time to teach right values and give proper care to the child. And the child grows up to have a lot of problems. By looking at the recent news, i need not to go into further details. [/quote]
WeÂ’re just becoming a more modern metropolitan city, look at every fast paced city, Singapore is comparable to london, new york in terms of pace and std of living, itÂ’s the dilemma of living in a modern city. People care about money more than about family valuesÂ….
Example: How many would choose option 1?
1) Having 5 kids, a crumpy HDB flat, no 5CsÂ….
2) Having 1-2 kids, executive HDB flat, car, some of the 5csÂ…
4) Our educational system. Well looking at the system now we are having. I can say it is complete joke. What we are learning now in schools is 1/2 1/2 and we are learning too much irrelevant stuffs which most probably not be useful. Also we are not given a choice or not emphasised on learning specifed skills when we are young, therefore when we go out to work, we still need to spend extra time upgrading and thus lead to problem 2. Spending all the time on a few specific skill and specialise on them are more enjoyable and less stressful compared to study all kinds of subjects where actually just for scoring high marks. [/quote]
Well, while you were in primary or secondary school, did you already know what you wanted to do? Did you know which area or field you wanted to focus in? If youÂ’re not exposed to different subjects, how would you know which one you liked?
E.g I now holding a diploma for multimedia infocomm technology, but i wasted 4 years in sec sch learning chemistry, physics, history geography whereby i most probably forget. Then the 3 yrs in poly i can tell you what i learned is still not enough to equip myself in the workforce. Therefore Singapore employ foreigners instead of us coz they have better knowledge but i can tell u they know nothing of other things rather than the specific knowledge they specialised. Bill gates started programming at the age of 5 if i am not wrong and he don't study like history, geography, chemistry etc..but look at him...how much did he earn every minute? [/quote]
Well, almost every professional job out there requires you to keep learning new technology, new rules and regulations, new programs, new innovationsÂ….
5)Emerging economy India and China. Well looking at the trend, China will catch up with Singapore around 15 years time. The problem China still facing now is the corruption and security issue. Compare them to Singapore, we are having this advantage. But once their government do something to it. China will be better than Singapore. [/quote]
The reason why China is doing so well is because theyÂ’re a low cost base thatÂ’s one, another is that there is 1 billion Chinese consumers in the market over there and amongst other reasons as wellÂ….
Singapore can excel by producing high tech and bio products such bio-care, medicineÂ… which they are building currently the biopolis project on the wayÂ…
Conclusion
Based on the main problems that I mentioned above, I think the main problem that also the main reason that Singapore will still be same or be worse in future is because Singapore is too small with no natural resources. We are working too hard to balance the scales but this is no good to the society in the run. [b]But we can do nothing about it and we can only try our best to maintain what it is now.
Well, the problem with todayÂ’s youth is that, a little bit of work and they all cry about itÂ…
Imagine your grand fatherÂ’s time, when they came by boat to singapore to work as labourers for the britishÂ… imagine how hard the conditions wereÂ… working from a labourer to a clerk
In the first 30 years of Singapore, we were at a growth stage, companies were doing wellÂ… now you have to realize that we have reach a mature stage and growth slows downÂ… itÂ’s the norm reallyÂ… look at Japan after WWII, it was booming however look at it nowÂ…
If you read Romance of the three kingdoms, i think you will know Zhuge Liang who was a great leader and strategist. During the time where Zhuge Liang was aiding Liu Bei in charge of the government in Xinye which was a small city that is hard to defend with no natural resources. But with Zhuge Liang's governing, Xinye developed in a prosperous city like Singapore. But he did tell Liu Bei that in the long run, things will not look good coz the fact that Xinye is too hard to defend and low population. Therefore in the end, they gave up Xinye and moved to a bigger and more resources Jingzhou. But of coz, the movement from Xinye and Jingzhou was due to war by Cao Cao great army where even Zhuge Liang himself knew cannot defend even with his great tactics and well trained soldiers. [b]But who can ensure in future Singapore will not face a war?? Even if we managed to win a war, but the damage going to cause is aso too huge.
No one single civilization has ever stayed at the top. Think about it, back 3000 years ago, China was the biggest so called empire with the best technology, I ask you to think of China during the 1970s, you would say China is doing really bad or no one really thought anything good of China until later. Or the fall of the Roman empire, or Genghis Khan who defeated almost all of Euro-AsiaÂ…. -
Originally posted by :
About the part on educational system, we are actually not really focused compared to other countries coz we are really too concerned for scoring high marks. I knew exposing to different subjects will determine you what specialisation u going to do in future. But our educational system has done it in a way that scoring high marks will have good future. Thats the truth, failing a subject and you will be condemned. So in fact government should instead helps student specialise when young instead of studying all kinds of subjects and requiring them to score else cannot make it to sec poly or U etc.
) Our educational system. Well looking at the system now we are having. I can say it is complete joke. What we are learning now in schools is 1/2 1/2 and we are learning too much irrelevant stuffs which most probably not be useful. Also we are not given a choice or not emphasised on learning specifed skills when we are young, therefore when we go out to work, we still need to spend extra time upgrading and thus lead to problem 2. Spending all the time on a few specific skill and specialise on them are more enjoyable and less stressful compared to study all kinds of subjects where actually just for scoring high marks.
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Well, while you were in primary or secondary school, did you already know what you wanted to do? Did you know which area or field you wanted to focus in? If youÂ’re not exposed to different subjects, how would you know which one you liked?
Well, the problem with todayÂ’s youth is that, a little bit of work and they all cry about itÂ…
Imagine your grand fatherÂ’s time, when they came by boat to singapore to work as labourers for the britishÂ… imagine how hard the conditions wereÂ… working from a labourer to a clerk
In the first 30 years of Singapore, we were at a growth stage, companies were doing wellÂ… now you have to realize that we have reach a mature stage and growth slows downÂ… itÂ’s the norm reallyÂ… look at Japan after WWII, it was booming however look at it nowÂ…
Well, i do agreed partially about the part where youth whine about little work. But now we are not living in our grandfathers' time where almost everyone works as labourer. Now we must compare to where everyone is studying and then go out to work and compete with others for just a small admin job. Well now we are facing like finishing 10 homeworks as a student and a labourer carrying 10 tons of goods per day. The stress is the same. But i do agree that we are living in a better condition compared to our grandfathers' time. -
Oh yeah, the reason why we employ so many foreign workers is because Singaporeans do not want to get dirty, must have air con environment...Originally posted by sans-culotte:I will break things down into the problems we are currently facing.
1) Singapore is too dependent on other countries. e.g water from Malaysia, natural gas from Indonesia. Foreign workers on construction sites. By analysing this, we are actually on the "being pushed" side. Looking at the water issue, you know what i mean.
Anytime, there's a job as a foreman or supervisor or clerks of work... these are jobs with decent pay! But most of it are all filled up by malaysians or foreigners. -
Think the fact that Singaporeans do not want to get dirty, must have air con environment... is now common and we cannot use it to compare to indonesia or other countries where almost everyone is doing construction and not holding a degree or diploma. You can't expect a U-grad to take on a dirty job with a pay of $800 that requires juz an O level cert but he spends a lot of time and money studying to get that degree. I know for those that families have financial problems will have no problem if no choice but a normal grad u can't expect him to do that. Its human nature of thinking.Originally posted by :Oh yeah, the reason why we employ so many foreign workers is because Singaporeans do not want to get dirty, must have air con environment...
Anytime, there's a job as a foreman or supervisor or clerks of work... these are jobs with decent pay! But most of it are all filled up by malaysians or foreigners. -
In a way foreign labour is cheaper compared to employing local people. Local people probably demand higher pay, better treatment, shorter hours.
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I wouldnt say Singapore is going to be the same or worse in future,coz no one knows what will happen in future.But one thing is for sure,if got chance to leave this place,i will definitely choose to leave.One reason is our country is too small,of coz,this is not our government fault as its the way our nation was borned.But in such a small island country,no matter how good the development are,there will still be a limit,n this limit will always pose a threat to our economy development.Another reason is Singapore is a "one party rules" nation,in other words,sort of a dictatorship country or socialist country.This method of ruling has been proved to be useless as time goes by,Soviet Union has fallen,Philipphines in the hand of dictator Marcos has fallen,East Germany has fallen,so does Suharto in Indonesia,Romania in east Europe etc,the list can go on......So let us make a deep thought,if a country as big as Soviet Union cant even survive with a one party rules system,what makes our politicians think that our tiny little country can make it?Its time for our country to change to democracy system,even Taiwan which is more dictatorial than us has switched to democracy,why cant we?Democracy might not be the best system,but it prove to be a better resolution compare to other type of ruling.If Singapore continue to be a "one party rule" nation,i am going to leave this place for good.
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Originally posted by sans-culotte:
Err... if you're Civil engineer(90%) or a mechanical(65%) or an electricial(50%) esp Civil engineer would be oustide working at some construction site.
Think the fact that [b]Singaporeans do not want to get dirty, must have air con environment... is now common and we cannot use it to compare to indonesia or other countries where almost everyone is doing construction and not holding a degree or diploma. You can't expect a U-grad to take on a dirty job with a pay of $800 that requires juz an O level cert but he spends a lot of time and money studying to get that degree. I know for those that families have financial problems will have no problem if no choice but a normal grad u can't expect him to do that. Its human nature of thinking. [/b]
You think high rise buildings and bridges was constructed by people who only had O level certs??? -
Singapore is small, therefore it is easier to govern, China on the other hand is huge, so was the SU. It is more complicated. One way of looking at things (not saying whether it is right or wrong) is that Singapore is too small to be divided by rivaling factions, look at how the democrats and republicans slaughter each other in Washington, sometimes, even normal families will not even allow their sons and daughters to get involved with rivaling politically inclined families. I read that a long time ago, so no idea how relevant this example is but those rifts are true.Originally posted by drawer:I wouldnt say Singapore is going to be the same or worse in future,coz no one knows what will happen in future.But one thing is for sure,if got chance to leave this place,i will definitely choose to leave.One reason is our country is too small,of coz,this is not our government fault as its the way our nation was borned.But in such a small island country,no matter how good the development are,there will still be a limit,n this limit will always pose a threat to our economy development.Another reason is Singapore is a "one party rules" nation,in other words,sort of a dictatorship country or socialist country.This method of ruling has been proved to be useless as time goes by,Soviet Union has fallen,Philipphines in the hand of dictator Marcos has fallen,East Germany has fallen,so does Suharto in Indonesia,Romania in east Europe etc,the list can go on......So let us make a deep thought,if a country as big as Soviet Union cant even survive with a one party rules system,what makes our politicians think that our tiny little country can make it?Its time for our country to change to democracy system,even Taiwan which is more dictatorial than us has switched to democracy,why cant we?Democracy might not be the best system,but it prove to be a better resolution compare to other type of ruling.If Singapore continue to be a "one party rule" nation,i am going to leave this place for good. -
Not only cheaper but more hardworking and smarter, for example, graduates from some indian tech university.. IIIT? Does anyone have any memories? It was featured in the newpaper once. I'm not sure about this but I remembered its high requirements for entrance was unreasonably high, Basically, he said that MIT was no kick, this I remembered very well, apparently they went through hell's training and when they go to the states, they find things which others believed to be tough as easy.Originally posted by GrimR:In a way foreign labour is cheaper compared to employing local people. Local people probably demand higher pay, better treatment, shorter hours.
Thats why people are outsourcing, no choice, if we close ourselves to our little world, than we will die.
Personally, I don't worry so because I am confident of surviving, relocation for work is no problem and I am always open to new ideas and make use of newfound resources. If you can't fight em, don't, make use of them. There is no reason to keep viewing China as rivals and in the position of an enemy. Same goes for India or even some south american nations.
If we can have an advantage over them, than make full use of it rather than lamenting what the possible future be. Thats my 2cents anyway,
Think of an elephant, rather than standing in its path, ride on it.. before it threatens to throw you off, poke a small wound and introduce germs into it, soon it will rot and bacterial and fungal will grow and multiply, den it will spread all over the body and by the time it realised what is happening, it will be too late and will simply die. No matter how big it is, even an elephant, it will simply die and get wasted by vultures. Ok, bad analogy, but it delivers the point. -
I feel very pessimistic about S'pore's future. For example let's take a look at our tourism industry. We are already facing fierce competition from neighbouring countries such as Malaysia and Thailand. The total number of visiting tourists is actually dwindling each year. MNCs which have companies and offices here are one by one quietly moving to China and other countries. This is one key factor why unemployment rate is at a constant high. I have many friends who are out of jobs for long periods of time and that's not because they are choosy, it's because nowadays local companies prefer to employ foreigners than locals. There's no doubt that life in S'pore will only get harder and harder in the future.
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Alamak ;X of coz i know that high rise buildings and bridges was NOT ONLY constructed by people who only had O level certs. I mean hardwork labour alone...erm how should i put it...like factory workers working with machines earning $1000 at most....or like someone drilling the road....FULLY MANUAL i mean..Originally posted by :Err... if you're Civil engineer(90%) or a mechanical(65%) or an electricial(50%) esp Civil engineer would be oustide working at some construction site.
You think high rise buildings and bridges was constructed by people who only had O level certs??? -
Evolution, Blueray.Originally posted by Blueray:I feel very pessimistic about S'pore's future. For example let's take a look at our tourism industry. We are already facing fierce competition from neighbouring countries such as Malaysia and Thailand. The total number of visiting tourists is actually dwindling each year. MNCs which have companies and offices here are one by one quietly moving to China and other countries. This is one key factor why unemployment rate is at a constant high. I have many friends who are out of jobs for long periods of time and that's not because they are choosy, it's because nowadays local companies prefer to employ foreigners than locals. There's no doubt that life in S'pore will only get harder and harder in the future.
This is exactly why we must continously strive for the transission of economic model to a higher KBE end.
Read 's post above. There are a lot of validity in what he has mentioned.
Attitude and perseverance will alway be prerequisite keys to any success - be us living in the 1930s or 2030s.
The MNCs may have moved away from SG to China, attracted mainly by the low cost of operations there. But will that warrant their stay there in long term?
Just as we are aware of the alignment and similarity of communication and working culture between American, European and Japanese organizations, we are also aware of the greater distance between the dominant PRC working culture and communication styles.
The potential clash of styles and the little leeway for ambiguity tolerance in a commercial operation could still send these MNCs packing back into SG, though I have to stress that this will not be the phenomena for all whom had left.
Likewise, just as we are saying goodbyes to the electronics / electrical dominant producing firms, be reminded at the same time, of the fact that we are saying 'hello' to more high technological entrants into SG as well.
UMCi, Siemens, and a couple of other biomedical companies coming in recently over the past 1 1/2 years are a couple of good examples.
It is really an issue of perspective directions for this topic.
We can choose to either face the sun and see the light, or we turn away and look at the shadows. -
You know what sans-culotte, I know how you feel. I only ord from army last June with a general diploma in business and no experience and also have problem finding job in the market. Too bad we got no money to go get a degree course. The army part, I agree with you wholeheartly. How much can we remember after that. Lets face it. Almost none. As such degree holders usually got an advantage there cause they effectively start their studies after NS. Can't be help. If you don't have a high education and you don't have a lot of money in Singapore, you are expandable.
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Another thing about the education part is true though. I am wondering whether it was even useful to get a diploma in the first place. I've been to more than 10 over interviews and have many working friends. Like normal diploma holders like us can only get 1300 outside rite now. Standard rate. You know what? Even a GCE O,A level student can get this kind of pay. I have a relative whose friend who has a lawyer degree. You know his pay only how much 1500. You are rite. Well while we must not be picky, we must also remember that we cannot compare to old times. Not compare with "old" times when the outlook is bad then look to the "future" when the outlook is good. Even all those civil ministers want to set good examples, then get their won sons and daughters to "not be picky" first. All talk and no action I also know how to do. Only great leaders can walk the talk. I don't see any ministers' children "sweeping floors"
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Well, everyone is struggling, even ministers' children.Originally posted by Xenthar:Another thing about the education part is true though. I am wondering whether it was even useful to get a diploma in the first place. I've been to more than 10 over interviews and have many working friends. Like normal diploma holders like us can only get 1300 outside rite now. Standard rate. You know what? Even a GCE O,A level student can get this kind of pay. I have a relative whose friend who has a lawyer degree. You know his pay only how much 1500. You are rite. Well while we must not be picky, we must also remember that we cannot compare to old times. Not compare with "old" times when the outlook is bad then look to the "future" when the outlook is good. Even all those civil ministers want to set good examples, then get their won sons and daughters to "not be picky" first. All talk and no action I also know how to do. Only great leaders can walk the talk. I don't see any ministers' children "sweeping floors" -
there are many quitters and stayers. those who want to stay and work for this country continue, those who think future is bleak, migrate if you can otherwise do what u can to change and or simply adapt.
i dont like our current govt, but i love this country, this is we here i was raise and born.
our education system sucks, i hate the streaming that the younger generation face, it give them heavy pressure that they have to face at such a young age. i feel it even more after watching the show' children not stupid'.
foreign competition. of course i agree singapore still have it niche in high tech industry. as we evolve, those surviving will be those skill that are useful to make our economy churn. but most semi-skill or even average univesity student will continue to face the problem retrenching.
we are in a semi dynasty era in singapore. someone mention that singapore is too play to hae multi party system. is it true? if we dont have how can we have democratic society. how can we have watchdog system to save guard that our country are not run by dictators in the future. We are train to be timid when come to political expression. it not the PAP fault but some of our elite class need to step out and dare to challenge the system.
its a free world, if this country cant give you what you need, leave it , change it, if not live with it. -
yah, struggling... then go overseas to study lor...Originally posted by :Well, everyone is struggling, even ministers' children.
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yah but not everyone has that kind of money lor. Anyway, it doesn't make a diff. They go overseas and most of the time they don't want to come back already leiOriginally posted by sgboy2004:yah, struggling... then go overseas to study lor... -
Things will get harder for our future generation- so many graduates getting low paying jobs, many still jobless, harder to do business here, must go overseas, foreign competition. We may end up like the Indonesians, Thai, Filipinos working overseas & sending money back to our families.
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Well, maybe some of the ministers', but for your info, PM Goh's daughter migrated to Canada long ago....so are her daugter's children. So of course, you are right, they WERE struggling until cannot take it then they migrated. Of course, PM Goh is rich, therefore no problem for her daughter to migrate to Canada. I sure her daughter enjoying her life there now...Originally posted by :Well, everyone is struggling, even ministers' children. -
how would they become the elite if there is no pap?Originally posted by reyes:we are in a semi dynasty era in singapore. someone mention that singapore is too play to hae multi party system. is it true? if we dont have how can we have democratic society. how can we have watchdog system to save guard that our country are not run by dictators in the future. We are train to be timid when come to political expression. it not the PAP fault but some of our elite class need to step out and dare to challenge the system.
its a free world, if this country cant give you what you need, leave it , change it, if not live with it.
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Singapore foreign policy is yet to be firmly established.
It cannot go on like the present: playing a lead role in policing of major international terrorism.
Why I say this: our neighbours are mostly muslims. Their feelings towards us now are subdued because we are making some self-survival speeches. That feeling is not hostile yet. But we do not know when that fine balance may tilt. Too much complex issues are to be unravelled.
We have built up an internal racial harmony and multi-racialism. That is a good base - our strength. Why not build on it?
Religious conflicts and clashes of civilization are topics beyond solutions of Singapore. We have only one voice. We can mediate rather than become adversarial.
Therefore the major policy direction should be set - play it cool. Do not be in a hurry to teach or lecture on this topic.
Be a mediator by all means. Our ability to mediate must be there because we have an indigeneous multi-racial harmony to begin with and that is our sincerity in fact.
Learn one lesson from the collapse of former Soviet Union - play reserved. But because Soviet Union exposes its triumph card too soon in going into field conflict in Afghan they begin to wear down till the American came in to capitalize on it. Soviet Union would not have collapsed had it not drawn its triumph card - military superiority of unknown proportion. Singapore may be militarily ready and prepared, don't get over-confident or be exposed. The day we start going into field conflicts, enemies will assess how strong we really are and make new opennings in our front. No point to go though all these.